A History of the World in 100 Objects - The Threshold of the Modern W… - 1. Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent

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A History of the World in 100 Objects - The Threshold of the Modern W… - 1. Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent

Neil MacGregor's world history explores the great empires of the world around 1500 - the threshold of the modern era. Today he examines the signature of Suleyman the Magnificent.

Neil MacGregor's world history as told through things. This week he is exploring the great empires of the world around 1500 - from the Inca in South America to the Ming in China and the Timurids in the Middle East. Today he is with the great Islamic Ottoman Empire that, by 1500, had conquered Constantinople as its new capital. The object Neil has chosen to represent this empire is the personal signature of the great Ottoman ruler Suleyman the magnificent, a contemporary of Henry V111 and Charles V. This monogram is the ultimate expression of Suleyman's authority at this time - a stamp of state and delicate artwork rolled into one. The Turkish novelist Elif Shafak and the historian Caroline Finkel help explore the power and meaning of this object.

Producer: Anthony Denselow.

Go to the A History of the World in 100 Objects site
  • Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 12:30am Tue, 14 Sep 2010
  • Available until 12:00am Thu, 1 Jan 2099
  • First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9:45am Mon, 13 Sep 2010
  • Categories
  • Duration 15 minutes

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